Theme: "Enjoying the Outdoor Life More with Technology"

Founded in San Francisco, California in 1966, THE NORTH FACE is an outdoor brand. It gained acclaim not only for its high quality but also for clearly stating its "minimum temperature rating," indicating the comfortable temperature range for its products. Coupled with the counterculture movement of the time, this helped establish a solid brand identity.

The brand is characterized by its highly functional items, such as high-quality sleeping bags made with generous amounts of goose down, the Sierra Parka (considered the prototype for down parkas), and the "Oval Intention," the world's first dome tent.

Takao Watanabe, Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer, and Business General Manager at Goldwin, which operates The North Face in Japan, and photographer Gentaro Ishihara will hold a talk session at Apple Omotesando to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The North Face's founding.

The theme is "Enjoying the Outdoor Life More with Technology." Both speakers will discuss how to blend technology, which is deeply rooted in modern life, with nature, its antithesis, from their respective perspectives.

The North Face has reached the significant milestone of its 50th anniversary. We look forward to their continued release of functional, high-quality items that enhance comfort in the outdoors.

Takao Watanabe
Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer, Business General Manager at Goldwin Inc. He has been involved with The North Face since joining the company in 1982, serving as General Manager of The North Face Business Division in 2000 and laying the foundation for the brand's development in Japan. He continues to pursue new initiatives, such as product development with the venture company Spiber and the conditioning store "NERTRALWORKS.BY GOLDWIN."

Gentaro Ishihara
Photographer. He began traveling worldwide in his teens and started taking photographs. His style, which involves capturing unique landscapes globally with specific motifs like pipelines, glaciers, and the gold rush, is described as conceptual documentary. He presents original imagery in response to current events, traversing the space between documentary and art. In 2016, he won the Grand Prix at the Steidl Book Award Japan. His new work, "GOLD RUSH ALASKA," is scheduled for publication in Fall 2017 by STEIDL in Germany. Solo exhibitions are planned at Gallery 916 starting January 2017, Aoyama Spiral Hall in May, and Taka Ishii Gallery in September.

Special Talk Event
Date: Saturday, December 17, 2016
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Doors open at 2:30 PM)
Venue: Apple Omotesando
4-2-13 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo